Fall of Krypton
by isilweth
Summary: Prequel. JorElLara romance. Zod and Science Council politics. Planetary destruction.


-1**CHAPTER I**  
He argued with a faceless betrayal which laughed and mocked him into an abyss. He fell for what seemed like days, only to float (as he once had done on Earth) to the tumultuous surface, where he found her, calm and bathed in a golden glow. He reached out for her. She took his hand and together they faced the inevitable as the world came crashing down around them. His ears rang with the screech of crystal tearing itself apart, with the shattering of the dome overhead, with the howling of the intruding winds, and the terrified cries of the masses surrounding them. The stench of ash, detritus and blood (some of it theirs) assaulted his nose. Her face grounded him, the untold sorrow of her features communed with his soul. They spoke no words as the planet erupted - the violent chaos was their refuge, for it made their pain external. Finally, they were consumed and absence was all that remained.

Jor-El awoke sweat-soaked and shivering. This was the fourth night a row in which the Great Cataclysm had invaded his dreams. He sat bolt upright and took three calming breaths as the horror faded. It was always distorted when he woke. Fortunately, his journal dutifully recorded them all in vivid detail. Jor-El scornfully refused to examine them. He knew he should have done so; it was his job as an astrometric augur. The journal was there to document prescience, but this was no foretelling, and (in this matter, at least) he refused to look any deeper than the confused surface. That in itself was enough to frighten him into denial and he did not wish to look to the stars for clarification. It was a small bit of rebellion against Destiny and he delighted in indulging it.

He would not have that luxury for long. Jor-El sighed, left his bed and began his preparations for the day. His wedding ceremony would begin on the morrow and with its conclusion he would be appointed to the Science Council, that governing body's junior member. Adhering to duty would become inevitable. This day, however, was the last day of his freedom and he intended to enjoy it. He stayed in the shower overlong, letting the rays refresh his body and his mind. Once dressed, he adjusted his headband and set out with a spring in his step for the Space Center. He intended to direct his energies to researching something of true importance.

He cordially greeted the general at the entrance to the Space Center. "Hello, General. How is your morning?"

The general nodded respectfully, but ignored the scientist's question, "Welcome, Jor-El. I did not expect you in today. Don't you have preparations to make for tomorrow?"

Jor-El grinned at the baseborn's brazen self-assurance. No one else in the general's league had ever had the courage to speak to him like that. Jor-El appreciated it. Like himself, the general preferred to live on the edge of accepted societal norms; he was surprisingly educated, and well-spoken. They were friends, despite all expectations of class.

"All the preparations are being made by our families. My only responsibility is to arrive on time."

Zod returned his grin and caught Jor-El's eyes. "I wouldn't know much about that. It's not in my Destiny. She'd have to be a jewel of a woman for me to choose to marry. I believe I'd prefer an heir without the bother of a wife."

Jor-El felt a brief pang of envy at the general's freedom, quickly supplanted by a sharp jolt of pity; Zod did not have Destiny's stars to guide him. The general didn't seem too unhappy with the idea, though. "Destiny always lights our path, Dru-Zod. I'm sure, with time, you shall find your life's partner."

Smirking, the general narrowed his eyes. "'Not all who wander are lost,' Jor-El. You certainly don't seem like the marrying kind to me." He walked beside Jor-El down the corridor, heading into the outer cells of the Space Center. "As I recall, my friend, you once said as much to me. What changed your mind?"

Jor-El forced himself to look forward, clapped his friend on the shoulder and gave him a determined smile. "Things change, and that is one of them." He snorted, "And in anticipation of that change, care to join me in Kandor this evening for lively debauchery. You know you want to..."

Dru-Zod replied with a laugh, "With you, my friend, 'debauchery' always sounds like fun."

They reached the inner sactum where Jor-El proceeded on his own, not expecting Zod to accompany him as those of the general's class were allowed no further.

Jor-El caressed the dark metal contours of the console. It hummed pleasantly and glowed a soft white. He flattened his hand against the surface. "Welcome, Jor-El. These are the current charts," the computer intoned within his mind, as the characters rearranged themselves on his console. He directed the computer to make various astrometric calculations and read the characters as they moved. He continued to redirect the machine, documenting its findings and searching for their true meanings.

He immersed himself within the work. The results simply must be wrong, he told himself, once again instructing the computer to re-figure the calculations. Whichever way he seemed to input the data, the same conclusion emerged. Revolution. The very idea was insane; Krypton had enjoyed peace for a millennia. However, if that's what the results indicated, then that's what would come to pass. One couldn't fight Destiny. Jor-El had learned that the hard way.

Now, though, conscience dictated he report his findings to the Science Council, despite their likely derision. His father's continued derision. Jor-El couldn't remember a time when Seyg-El had believed in him. At times it seemed he would never gain his father's respect, as if Seyg-El had reserved his affection solely for Nim-El. Predicting an act of terrorism was not going to improve his status among Seyg-El and his colleagues. Especially when he told them that one of their own, the astronaut, Jax-Ur would use today's mission to Mithen to cause the moon's destruction.

An embodiment of the Brain Interactive Construct pulled him from his intense concentration. It placed a hand upon his shoulder. "Tanth Jor-El. You requested notification of the second cycle. It is time." 

Jor-El sighed, removed himself from his communion with the console and pulled himself into the present. He sent a message to the Council, saying a silent prayer to Rao that they would receive it with open minds. Feeling he could do nothing more, he left the Space Center, meeting the general on the way out of the building. They would only need to take a few portals on the network to reach Kandor. It was time to forget about Destiny and responsibility and to indulge in sheer hedonism.

Jor-El and Dru-Zod were engrossed in privately cavorting with a stunningly beautiful woman deep in the heart of Kandor. The rhythm of the evening pulsed around them, but Jor-El had long ago ceased to pay it any mind. He had succumbed to drunkenness while Rao had still shown above them. The sun had long since set and the moons shown bright and full, illuminating the inhabitants of the land and casting dual shadows wherever their light was blocked.

The woman cackled in reaction to Zod. Jor-El bristled, removed himself from their play and looked to the people bathed in the moonlight outside, though he really looked beyond them. Despite his best efforts to ignore it, every time this woman did something, he would think about his yet-to-be wife. He hoped fervently that the laugh of Lara Lor-Van would make him feel like joining with her, instead of moving from her.

He turned from the light, intending to rejoin Zod and their companion, when a clamor beyond thunder roared overhead. The subsequent soundwave hit the surface hard, rocking its very foundation. Krypton responded to the onslaught. Tremors exploded outward from the planets' core, breaking apart buildings and ripping apart passageways. Fear engulfed a people who had not known it. Thousands of screams echoed through the air. Jor-El fell to his knees, feeling humility on his home world for the first time ever. He saw that across the room, the woman was dead, her neck snapped by a blow to her head. His friend lay a few feet from her, alive or dead, Jor-El couldn't tell from where he knelt. His sweat turned cold. He shivered. As though compelled by a force beyond himself, he turned and faced the sky.

A rain of light descended, as particles spilled onto the planet, disintegrating in the atmosphere. Jor-El followed their path backwards and transfixed upon the sight. Mithen glowed whole in all her glory. Wegthor was _gone_.


End file.
